My take on the Coronavirus-19 Outbreak

The following represent MY BELIEFS, albeit as a board-certified (and re-certified x 4) family physician with over 30 years experience, about the novel Coronavirus and Covid-19 disease, based upon basic principles of epidemiology and currently available information. First: I believe that Cov-19 is ALREADY PRESENT in the community. There is currently no way to determine its true prevalance, partially due to inadequate testing, but also because of the nature of the virus (variable disease severity ranging from inapparent infection to fatal disease, and high level of contagion.) What this means is that since anyone could be infected, ALWAYS ASSUME you are potentially in contact with it. Second: Basic principles like handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes with your elbow, and not touching your face (virually impossible to do, BTW) are important, but in the case, I BELIEVE relative quarantine, also being referred to as “social isolation,” is a good idea. Although officially this only applies to people at increased risk (the very young and very old, immunocompromised individuals, people with risk factors for severe disease like underlying respiratory conditions) I BELIEVE it is a good idea for everyone. What exactly does that mean? Risk is roughly proprotional to distance + time. Being very close to an infected individual for a short time is risky, but so is more prolonged exposure even if not as physically close. My random definition of “close” is about th...
Source: Musings of a Dinosaur - Category: Primary Care Authors: Tags: Medical Source Type: blogs